Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 5, 2011

CONTACT: Stefani Zimmerman, 202-225-2315   

Congressman Paul Rep. Gosar Follows Up on Chief Tidwell’s Visit to Flagstaff, Presses for a Swift Federal Government Response

U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar sent a letter to the head of the United States Forest Service (USFS), Tom Tidwell, to follow up on the commitments made by USFS, during his March 25^th visit, to assist the community with flood mitigation and fire recovery.  In this letter, Gosar commended Tidwell for agreeing to lead the Federal Government’s interagency recovery efforts and pressed for swift action to alleviate current emergency conditions.  Specifically, he cited nine action items, discussed during the visit, the Forest Service can take that would significantly aid the efforts. 

“The federal government has a responsibility, if not a moral obligation to assist our community with flood mitigation and recovery,” Gosar said.  “I was pleased with the progress made during the Chief’s visit and will continue to work with the Forest Service and other relevant government agencies is an active partner in the short- and long-term Schultz Fire recovery efforts.”

Timeline of Events:

Since the start of the 112^th Congress, Congressman Paul Gosar has used his assignment to the Committee on Natural Resources to advocate for the community.  On March 9^th, at a Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Hearing, Gosar first pressed Chief Tidwell, the head of the United States Forest Service, to lead a coordinated multiagency effort to develop, fund, and implement a comprehensive short and long-term flood mitigation strategy in Coconino County. 

Following that hearing, the Congressman and the Chief further discussed the status of the county, city, and community’s disaster response efforts, and the federal government’s responsibility to assist in these efforts.  Ultimately, the Chief agreed to visit Northeast Arizona on his upcoming visit to the state. 

On May 25^th, Chief Tidwell, Southwester Regional Forester Corbin Newman, and Coconino National Forest Service Earl Stewart toured the Schultz Fire burn site and the communities affected by watershed conditions on Forest Service administered land.  In addition, the Forest Service officials met with officials from Coconino County, the City of Flagstaff, and local homeowners to discuss future flood mitigation and fire recovery efforts.

Below is the text of the letter that Rep. Gosar sent to Tidwell yesterday to follow-up on the commitments made during the Chief’s visit to the area:

The Honorable Tom Tidwell
Chief, U.S. Forest Service
Yates Building, 5^th Floor
201 14^th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Chief Tidwell:

I would first like to thank you for visiting Coconino County on your recent trip to Arizona.  It was important for you to see the burn site, watershed conditions, and the communities affected by the Schultz Fire and the subsequent flooding.  I would also like to express my appreciation for your willingness to meet with the officials from Coconino County, the City of Flagstaff, and local homeowners to witness, first-hand, the urgency of the situation facing our community.  I am confident the progress made in those discussions and the overall visit was a major step forward in the Schultz Fire recovery process.

As we discussed during your visit, the Coconino National Forest’s Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has employed conventional watershed recovery measures, such as mulching, replanting vegetation, and laying straw; however that is not sufficient to mitigate future flooding or threats to public safety.  I appreciated your acknowledgement that with lives and property at risk, this situation requires significant federal attention.  In addition, the U.S. Forest Service’s commitment to lead the interagency effort is critical to ensuring the federal government is an active partner in the short- and long-term recovery.

Concurrently, I am writing to follow up on the conversations that took place and the commitments you and your regional and local Forest Service colleagues made during the March 28^th visit.  Specifically, I would like to request points of contact on your staff and timelines or benchmarks for the following agreed-to action items within the next two weeks so that my staff can work with the Forest Service to ensure they come to fruition:

Coordinate with other relevant federal agencies to ensure all resources the federal government is capable of deploying to address this emergency are utilized.

 Identify all regulatory requirements that may impede the timely planning, design and construction of flood mitigation projects on Forest Service administered land, and ascertain how to expedite such regulatory compliance.

 Assign Forest Service resources to assist Coconino County, City of Flagstaff, and the U.S. Geological Survey in the timely completion of the Cinder Lake Capacity Study concerning floodwater retention. 

 Actively assist Coconino County to develop, fund and implement a comprehensive flood mitigation effort that includes short- and long-term measures on and off national forest system lands. 

 Provide leadership, technical expertise, and resources to the communities at the base of the mountain, directly affected by watershed conditions on the Coconino National Forest land, to assist their efforts to implement short-term flood mitigation projects prior to this year’s monsoon season.  

 Authorize the City of Flagstaff to begin construction of the Inner Basin Pipeline Reconstruction Project on Forest Service administered land, including authorizing the use of mechanized equipment to repair the 300 feet of severed pipeline located in land designated as a wilderness area.

 Impart leadership and technical assistance to the City of Flagstaff in navigating the endangered species act administered by U.S. Fish and Wildlife with regards to the spotted owl habitat around the Inner Basin Pipeline Reconstruction Project.

 Deploy Forest Service resources to diminish the dangers to the reconstruction efforts posed by the 11,000-plus burnt trees located along the pipeline and the pipeline road.

 Provide oversight over the contracting stage of the Four Forest Restoration Initiative to ensure that contract includes sufficient supply of wood for a sufficient duration to allow for a significant cost offset by industry for the Forest Service.  This project has the potential to be a model nationally for landscape-scale forest restoration and would be instrumental in preventing disasters like the Schultz Pass Fire from occurring in the future. 

 It is critical that these and other flood mitigation efforts begin immediately so we may begin to alleviate the emergency conditions that still exist, and mitigate the significant threats to health, safety, life, property, and downstream values at risk. With fire season almost upon us, and then the ensuing monsoon season, our community cannot afford any delays. 

Thank you again for your commitment to lead the federal government’s interagency efforts in this dire situation.  I look forward to hearing your timely response and continuing to work with the U.S. Forest Service to make the Schultz Fire recovery a success. 

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